The Impact of Parent’s Mental Health Literacy on Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Xia Headley
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major issue in the field of mental health today, specifically in high income English-speaking counties such as the United States, is the treatment gap for unmet needs. The treatment gap refers to the fact that despite high rates of mental health disorders among adults (ranging from 14.9% to 24.6%), only approximately 8.6% of adults are receiving mental health treatment (Brijnath et al., 2016). This has, in part, been attributed to a general lack of understanding surrounding topics of mental health and mental health disorder, as well as the stigma that may result from these misconceptions. Previous studies have found that when analyzing public opinion about mental health, especially regarding children’s mental health, concerns are raised regarding the social effects of treatment, the use of psychotropic medication, and an incorrect belief linking mental health issues to violence (Pescosolido et al., 2008). The lack of information, incorrect beliefs, and underlying lack of trust surrounding topics of mental health and mental health services creates a stigma that contributes to the low rates of mental health treatment-seeking behaviors. The area of research that focuses on the lack of knowledge about mental health, mental health disorders, and treatment stems from an older area of research referred to as health literacy (HL). Previous work first established HL as the domain related to poor or lack of understanding health or medical knowledge, which was subsequently linked to numerous poor health outcomes. HL is generally conceptualized as having four main components: 1) competency needed to help obtain and maintain health and identify illness; 2) an understanding of how and where to access, as well as how to evaluate, health information and health care; 3) an understanding of how to properly apply prescribed treatments; and 4) obtaining and applying skills related to social capital (Kutcher et al., 2016). In 1997, Jorm and his colleagues took this concept of HL and applied and adapted it to fit the field of mental health.
Mental Health Literacy Mental health literacy (MHL) was derived from HL with the assumption that the two constructs would be functionally similar (Jorm et al., 1997; Kutcher et al., 2016; O’Connor & Casey, 2015). MHL is defined as the knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which aid in their recognition, management, or prevention (Jorm et al., 1997). Jorm and his colleagues (1997) argue that MHL consists of six factors: 1) the ability to recognize specific disorders; 2) knowing how to seek information surrounding the topic of mental health; 3) knowledge of risk factors and causes of mental health disorders; 4) knowledge of self-treatments; 5) knowledge of professional resources; and 6) attitudes that reduce stigma and promote recognition and appropriate treatment seeking. The promotion of these factors allows individuals to have the skills necessary to obtain and maintain health wellbeing through the ability to identify potential threats to one’s own mental health and the knowledge to address these threats, whether individually or through information and/or treatment-seeking. Studies have found that improvements in MHL have been associated with improvements in health outcomes for individuals and communities, as individuals with increased MHL are more likely to see improvements in perception of mental health, knowledge about risk factors and symptoms, and treatment-seeking behavior (Brijnath et al., 2016; Kutcher et al., 2016). An individual gaining these skills not only helps them, as they are better equipped to manage their own mental health, but also allows them to help others, especially those in their care (e.g., elderly parents, children) with the management of their mental health. Therefore, interventions that aim to increase MHL on an individual and community level are critical. Previous studies have found that MHL interventions, particularly those that are web-based, can improve mental health knowledge, attitudes or stigma, and help-seeking behaviors, when programs are structured to guide participants through a series of evidence-based steps and experiential learning activities (Brijnath et al., 2016). These activities can
